Council Tax and Housing Benefits

Lord Blackwell: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the number of recipients and the value of payments of council tax and housing benefit in the latest available year, broken down by household income bands of £0 to £5,000, £5000 to £7,500, £7,500 to £10,000, £10,000 to £15,000, £15,000 to £20,000, £20,000 to £30,000, £30,000 to £50,000, and over £50,000 or the closest bands available.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The available information is in the table.
	
		Housing Benefit (HB) and council tax benefit (CTB) recipients by income band in Great Britain at May 2002
		
			 Weekly assessable income of benefit household (including any HB and/or CTB payable)  Equivalent annual income  Number of housing benefit recipients Average weekly housing benefit payment Number of council tax benefit recipients Average weekly council tax benefit payment 
			 0 to £95.82 Under £5,000 58,000 £34.10 139,000 £10.20 
			 £95.83 to £143.73 £5,001 to £7,500 643,000 £42.60 978,000 £10.20 
			 £143.74 to £191.64 £7,501 to £10,000 1,203,000 £49.00 1,421,000 £10.50 
			 £191.65 to £287.47 £10,001 to £15,000 1,482,000 £55.50 1,651,000 £11.20 
			 £287.48 to £383.29 £15,001 to £20,000 343,000 £75.60 341,000 £12.50 
			 £383.30 to £574.93 £20,001 to £30,000 77,000 £117.10 70,000 £14.00 
			 £574.94 to £958.22 £30,001 to £50,000 6,000 £432.30 (4)2,000 (4)£15.80 
			 £958.23 or over £50,001 or over (10) (11) (10) (11) 
			   
			 Totals  3,813,000 £54.60 4,602,000 £10.90 
		
	
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System. Annual 1 per cent sample taken in May 2002.
	Notes:
	1. The information has been provided in weekly income bands, rather than annual bands as it is based on Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit recipients at a single point in the year.
	2. The data refer to households claiming Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit, which may be a single person, a couple or a family. More than one benefit household can live in one property, for example two or more adults in a flat or house share arrangement.
	3. Figures are based on a 1 per cent sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	4. Numbers are based on a small number of sample cases and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling variation and should be used as a guide to the current situation only.
	5. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand cases, average weekly benefit is rounded to the nearest ten pence.
	6. Council Tax Benefit figures exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases.
	7. Housing Benefit figures exclude any Extended Payment cases.
	8. There will be an overlap in the figures as people may be in receipt of both Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
	9. The figures are comprised of incomes declared for the assessment of income-related benefits (including disregarded income) from Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance (Income based), other benefits/allowances/tax credits and net earnings from employment/self-employment.
	10. Nil or negligible.
	11. Not applicable.

Small Businesses: Regulatory Burden

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What further plans they have to reduce the burden of red tape regulation affecting the small business sector.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Independent research has established that the UK is not over-regulated compared to other countries but the Government keep the impact of regulation on the small business sector under constant review. We have taken action in a number of ways. Some 700,000 businesses have benefited from the flat rate VAT scheme introduced in the 2002 Budget. Businesses can register to receive alerts about regulations automatically on the Business Link website (www.businesslink.org) which provides advice on compliance. Regulatory impact assessments have to be produced for all new regulations. Much regulation is initiated in Europe and the Small Business Service has set up an independent office to represent small businesses in Europe. Small business now enjoys a 12-week period between regulations being agreed and implemented.

Employment

Baroness Miller of Hendon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people are employed in (a) industry and (b) the public sector; and whether there is any record that the figure for industry has ever been lower.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter on behalf of the National Statistician to Baroness Miller of Hendon, dated 12 September 2003.
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question about how many people are employed in (a) industry and (b) the public sector; and whether there is any record that the figure for industry has ever been lower. I am replying in his absence.[HL4304]
	The most recent estimate of public sector jobs, published in an ONS article in July 2003, was 5.30 million for June 2002. The best measure of jobs for the economy as a whole is provided by a household survey, the Labour Force Survey (LFS). This was 28.91 million for the same period, which is the highest since records began in 1992. The estimate of 23.61 million for private sector jobs is calculated as the difference between these totals, which is the highest figure since records began in 1992.
	An alternative measure known as workforce jobs, derived from surveys of businesses, provides the best estimate of the industrial composition of jobs. However, it is not possible to disaggregate these sectoral estimates into public and private. The most recent estimates show there were 3.99 million jobs in the production industries in March 2003, the lowest since records began in 1978. Total jobs in the service sector, both public and private, in March 2003 were 23.26 million, the highest ever. Total service sector jobs excluding public administration, education and health were 16.7 million, also the highest ever. The measure of jobs for the whole economy from this source, which differs from the LFS, was 29.60 million for the same period, the highest since records began in 1959.

Iraq: Costs of Military Campaign

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What has been the cost to the United Kingdom since 1st May 2003 of the occupation of Iraq.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: It is too early to provide costs of the military campaign in Iraq since 1 May 2003.